Ĉiufoje, kiam ni elektas silkon, ni ŝanĝas la fasonon.

Ĉiufoje means every time.

It is made from:

• ĉiu = every, each
• foj' = time, occasion
• -e = an adverb ending

So ĉiufoje is literally something like on every occasion or every time.

You may also see the two-word version ĉiufoje kiam..., which is a very common way to say every time when... / whenever....

This is a normal Esperanto pattern:

• Ĉiufoje = every time
• kiam = when

So Ĉiufoje, kiam... means Every time that... or Whenever...

A native English speaker might feel that this is slightly repetitive, but Esperanto often likes this clear structure:

• main time expression: ĉiufoje
• subordinate-clause marker: kiam

It is completely natural Esperanto.

Because kiam ni elektas silkon is a subordinate clause introduced by kiam.

Esperanto often uses commas quite regularly to separate clauses, especially when a subordinate clause begins. So the comma helps show the structure:

• Ĉiufoje,
• kiam ni elektas silkon,
• ni ŝanĝas la fasonon.

You can think of it as visually marking the inserted when... clause.

In Esperanto, the present tense is often used for:

• habitual actions
• repeated actions
• general truths

Here, the sentence is not talking about one specific moment right now. It is expressing a repeated pattern: whenever this happens, something else happens.

So ni elektas means something like we choose in the sense of whenever we choose or when we choose.

Because silkon is the direct object of elektas.

In Esperanto, direct objects take -n:

• silko = silk
• silkon = silk as the thing being chosen

So:

• ni elektas silkon = we choose silk

This -n ending is one of the most important features of Esperanto grammar.

For the same reason: it is the direct object of ŝanĝas.

• fasono = style, shape, cut, design
• fasonon = the style/design as the thing being changed

So:

• ni ŝanĝas la fasonon = we change the style/design

Both silkon and fasonon have -n because both are direct objects in their own clauses.

The article la means the.

Esperanto uses la when the noun is definite, meaning the speaker has a specific style/design in mind, or the context makes it identifiable.

So la fasonon suggests:

• a particular style
• the relevant style in this situation
• the design/cut already understood from context

If you said just fasonon, it would sound more indefinite: a style or some style.

Fasono usually refers to:

• style
• cut
• shape
• design
• fashioning

The exact English word depends on context. In clothing or textiles, it can suggest cut or style. More generally, it can mean the way something is shaped or designed.

So a learner should not assume it always matches one single English word perfectly.

Because each clause normally states its own subject clearly.

The sentence has two clauses:

• kiam ni elektas silkon
• ni ŝanĝas la fasonon

Even though English sometimes feels happy to rely more on context, Esperanto usually keeps the subject explicit when a new clause has its own verb.

So repeating ni is normal and clear, not redundant.

Yes.

By itself, kiam means when. But in the pattern ĉiufoje, kiam..., the whole expression means every time when..., which in natural English is often simply whenever.

So:

• kiam = when
• ĉiufoje, kiam... = whenever / every time that...

In Esperanto, stress normally falls on the second-to-last syllable.

So:

• ĉiuFOje
• KIam
• eLEKtas
• SILkon
• ŜANĝas
• faSOnon

This rule is very regular, which makes pronunciation much easier than in English.

Ĉiufoje as one word is standard and very common.

It is a lexicalized adverb built from smaller parts, but learners should generally just treat it as a normal word meaning every time.

You may notice its internal structure, but in practice you can simply learn:

• ĉiufoje = every time

Yes. Esperanto often allows small variations. For example, one could say:

• Kiam ajn ni elektas silkon, ni ŝanĝas la fasonon.
• Ĉiam kiam ni elektas silkon, ni ŝanĝas la fasonon.

These are similar in meaning, though Ĉiufoje, kiam... is especially clear and straightforward.

For a learner, the important thing is that the original sentence is fully natural Esperanto.